Conor McGregor Officially Shuts Down Manny Pacquiao Fight: ‘MMA Next’

UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor has been targeted by several boxing legends after his superfight with undefeated boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. One of the boxers recently linked to “The Notorious” is former eight-division world champion, Manny Pacquiao. The rumors regarding their potential bout started when “Pacman” greeted McGregor on Thanksgiving day.

Pacquiao then admitted that his camp already had preliminary talks with the UFC star. Conor McGregor, who has been noticeably silent about fighting Pacquiao, finally decided to speak and address the rumors. According to TMZ Sports, McGregor revealed that he wants his next bout to be a “real fight.”

“I think a true fight is what I want to do next,” McGregor said.

“MMA next.”

With his recent statements, it seems like Conor McGregor is ready to fulfill his promise. After losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr., McGregor vowed to return to the UFC and make his first title defense. Several MMA fighters have already expressed their interest to be McGregor’s next opponent. These include Nate Diaz, Tony Ferguson, and Tyron Woodley.

Of all three fighters, facing Ferguson makes the most sense for McGregor. When he decided to take a break from MMA, the UFC decided to create an interim lightweight title in which “El Cucuy” successfully claimed after defeating Kevin Lee at UFC 216. “The Notorious” should prioritize his title unification bout with Ferguson if he doesn’t want to lose another belt.

Conor McGregor will officially return to the UFC to defend the lightweight title.
David Becker/Getty Images

Unfortunately, according to MMA Junkie, Tony Ferguson is expected to remain on the sideline for a long period of time after undergoing an elbow surgery. This will give other fighters the chance to become Conor McGregor’s next opponent. If McGregor is really looking for a “real fight,” he might consider a trilogy bout with Nate Diaz.

On Twitter, Diaz revealed that the UFC offered him multiple title shots. However, none of those fights interest him, making him decided to go to the “next sport.” Diaz said he’ll only fight again in the Octagon if the UFC will offer him “something good.” As of now, it’s crystal clear that the only fight that matters the most to Diaz is his trilogy bout with Conor McGregor.

Another potential opponent for “The Notorious” is Floyd Mayweather Jr. Fighthype recently posted a video of Mayweather talking about coming out of retirement to fight in the UFC. After failing to give Mayweather his first loss, McGregor urged “Money” to have their rematch in the Octagon. The MayMac MMA fight will surely once again rock the world of fighting sports. However, as of now, the UFC has not given any statements regarding Mayweather’s claims.